Water for Health

BY:

In this age of fad diets and fitness crazes, there is one piece of health advice that everyone can agree on: Drink more water.

Proper hydration is key to good health, and with all the worries about growing obesity rates, no beverage is better for hydration than plain old, calorie-free water.

The Drink Up campaign, run by the Partnership for a Healthy America and championed by its honorary chair, First Lady Michelle Obama, is encouraging Americans “to drink more water, more often.” With a bevy of official supporters that range from bottled water companies to water filter manufacturers to municipal water districts, the campaign is showing positive results in some sectors of the industry. (And I highly recommend visiting the campaign’s website at www.youarewhatyoudrink.org, if only to see the cool graphics and animation it uses to promote drinking more water.)

The International Bottled Water Assn. recently issued a press release announcing an increase in sales as a result of Drink Up. According to a study by Nielsen Catalina Solutions, Drink Up’s online ad campaign resulted in a 3% increase in incremental bottled water sales among those who saw the ads. This equated to approximately $1 million in incremental retail bottled water sales.

Promoting the health benefits of drinking more water also can be a great way to promote the water quality benefits of a water filtration system. The better water tastes and smells, the more appealing it is to drink.

The “fear factor” when it comes to municipal drinking water also may be a hindrance to drinking more water. Many residents may be fearful of what could be lurking in their drinking water, especially when major water contamination emergencies, such as Toledo, Ohio’s recent “do not drink” advisory due to microcystin, or the chemical spill in January that affected water systems in West Virginia, are all over the news.

Dealers can help assuage customers fears of what may be present in their municipal water supply by performing a water quality test — and then by recommending a water treatment solution that resolves any issues. The result, for the homeowner, will be fresh-tasting water that they can drink without fear of contaminants.

The benefits of drinking enough water are clear, and ensuring that the water in customers’ homes is fresh tasting and free of odors and contaminants is the first step in helping them achieve better health through proper hydration. Promote the benefits of drinking more water to your customers — as water treatment professionals, you are your customers’ resource on the benefits of clean water and how to achieve it in their homes.